In my opinion this is George Clooney’s (“Good Night, and Good Luck”) best work. He was nominated for Best Actor in this film for his portrayal of traveling businessman Ryan Bingham. I believe he should have won the Oscar; he’s
In my opinion this is George Clooney’s (“Good Night, and Good Luck”) best work. He was nominated for Best Actor in this film for his portrayal of traveling businessman Ryan Bingham. I believe he should have won the Oscar; he’s an Oscar-winner for “Syrianna” and has been nominated as a writer, producer and director. Clooney, like Warren Beatty (“Reds),” and Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane”) are the only actors to be nominated in their career in these four categories.
I love “Up in the Air” because it has multiple locations and tells a true human story about a lonely guy living his life on his terms. Director Jason Reitman (“Juno”) is on top of his game as a director, with excellent Oscar-nominated supporting actress Anna Kendrick (“The Departed”) as Clooney’s “girl.” George Clooney travels all over the United States working for a company that fires people. This film is no doubt a social commentary on the economy at the time. Reitman managed to touch on the poor housing market, the decline in jobs and how even the auto industry took a hit. I think we can all look back on 2007-2008 and sigh that it’s over, or at least changed.
There is a simplicity to Reitman’s work, whether it was smoking in “Thank you for Smoking” or teen pregnancy in “Juno;” he manages to just let us know what’s going on and doesn’t bash our head’s with his message. The casting of George Clooney in this movie was perfect, because his character is about loyalty and people. After what Mr. Clooney did off-screen for Haiti, we see that he is loyal to a good cause and a humanitarian that gives to others.
Just under the surface of this character is a tough side, that some viewers may view as cold. He’s not married, he’s content being alone and he’s not too close with his family. This is exactly why Clooney and the film are so amazing: they expose the flaw of humanity and the character.
The movie is hilarious with an uncountable amount of great one-liners by Clooney, who is our generation’s Brando, Newman or Lemmon. I say this and many would probably debate it, but Clooney can do action, drama and comedy. So few actors can do multiple genres. Heck, he even garners Oscars and nominations for his different styles. This movie requires a few viewings to truly get some of the subtle things Reitman was going for, but it’s worth it.
Year: 2009
Director: Jason Reitman
Oscars: Nominations (including Best Picture)
1. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
2. The Proposal
3. The Hangover
4. The Invention of Lying
5. I Love you Man
6. The Informant
7. Funny People
8. World’s Greatest Dad
9. Zombieland
10. Land of the Lost
